Toy motion-picture device



L. A. KING TOY MOTION PICTURE DEVICE Filed May 29 1922 Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES LELAND A. KING, OF CHIC AGO, ILLINOIS.

TOY MOTION-PICTURE DEVICE.

Application filed May 29, 1922. Serial No. 564,317.

I To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LELAND A. KING, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Motion-Picture Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My present improvements relate to motion picture devices of the kind in which there is a rotatable member provided with I pictures on one side and sight openings.

throu h which the operator viewsthepictures y reflection from a mirror.

The objects of the present improvements are to provide a device through which the desired. display may be. had with increased simplicity and ease of operation, and whereby the optical effects may be improved. Other and more specifically stated objects will appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device complete;

.Fig. 2 is an end view looking from right to left in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view in the opposite direction; Fig. 4 is a side view showing the manner of holding and operating the device; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a mirror which ma be used with the arts shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an enlarged ragmentary face view of the middle portion of the rotatable disc; Fig. 7 is a side view and Fig. 8 is a face view of a readily attachable and removable mounting constituting a bearing and twirling device for the disc.

A disc having a picture on one side and marginal sight openings at intervals and adapted to be rotated by hand while the operator views a reflection of the pictures through thesight openings during its rotation are quite old. The present improvements are more particularly in means for holdin such a 'disc, or a disc and a mirror, and a so in the provision of an auxiliary sight-opening or shield device, and in com-H bination thereof, all and severally resulting in increased advantages.

The disc 10 may be of cardboard or of any other. suitable thin sheet-like material. It has pictures 11 marked upon it, each with parts in a different relative position and so arranged accordin to what is old and wellknown as to pro uce a sequence of optical im ressions giving the effect of a substantia 1y continuous movement of the figures or plctures 11.

Referring to Fig. 6 it will be noted that the disc 10 is provided with arcuate openings 12. Figs. 7 and 8 show a bearing and twirling member 14 consisting of-a tubular part 15 and a disc-like part 16 rigidly secured thereto as by solderlng. The discholder part 16 has a pair of tongues 17 stamped outward therefrom, with the free ends of the tongues bent away from the plane of the disc 16, these members 17 being springy and adapted to pass bodily through the opening 12 of the disc 10. The end 15 of the bearing member is first passed into the central hole 13 of the disc 10 with the spring tongues 17 entering the openings 12 respectively, and thereupon by rocking the twirling member relative to the disc 10, as by applying a finger and thumb to the stamped-up tabs 18, the spring fingers 17- passes over the disc 10 -ing 12 and the bearing member is thereby held securely, yet in readily removable relation to the picture disc 10.

Referring to Fig. 1 it Will be noted that the holding frame consists of a forwardly projecting member 20, shown in the form of a wire, which is bent at its outer end to provide a notch 21, the wire then being carried normally downward and around forming several rings at 22, the wire then being carried laterally and downwardly at 23. Fig. 2 thence being bent up to form a seat at 24, thence being carried across at 25, thence being formed into a similar seat at 26, the wire then being carried back at 27 and terminated at the loops or rings 22. A small rectangular mirror may readily be positioned between the upper seat 21 and the two lower seats 24 and 26 and held by the sprinc action of the wire. The mirror 30 may have its edge bound as at 31 with metal or fabric. A slight pressure downward upon the lower seat parts, as upon the cross member '25, releases the mirror for removal. At the normally front end of the wire 20 i it is given, Several turns at 33 to provide a normally horizontal recess or hole. The same wire at 33 is bent downward and forward at 24, Fi 1 and 3, and is provided with a forwarfli projecting part 35 which is formed with a hump or bend at 36, Fig. 3.

A second frame part consists of a norbeyond the openmally vertical wire 37 which is bent at right hump at 36, and thereby being held in a right-angular relation to the wire 20.

At the lower extremity 'of the upright 37 the wire is given a turn at 40 and then eX- tended normally rearward to form a loop constituting a handle 41. The loop of wire 41 extends forward beyond the wire 37 and is formed into two upwardly directed loops 43 and 44 (Fig. 4) and the wire is then extended forward to provide a stud 44 upon which the bearing and twirling member 14 mag be applied.

plate-like shield 46, suitably of'a triangular shape, has a notch 47 (Fig. 3) in its upper part of such portion as to accommodate therein the wire 20, the lower portion of this shield 46 being heldfor ready removability between the springy coils 43 and 44 of the wire. The shield 46 has a pair of sight-openings 48 so spaced apart that two of the marginal sight-openings. 50 of the disc 10 will be open to view simultaneously through the two sight-openings 4 8 of the shield. Thesight openings 48 are spaced apart approximately the pupillary distance between the eyes, and the construction and arrangement provides that the operat'or may view the reflected pictures with both his eyes. Any one of the pictures 11 is between two of the openings 50 which are simultaneously exposed through the shield openings 48, and the two eyes view this one picture by reflection from the mirror 30.

The shield 46 is preferably darkened on its surface facing the operators eyes, and the marginal portion of the disc 10 facing the operators eyes is also preferably of a dark color. In my practice I make these eye-facing surfaces black. The result of such darkening is that comparatively few light beams are reflected into the eyes except through the mirror, which results in a clearer definition of the pictures and less strain upon the eyes.

It will be notedthat ,-the mirror 30 is relatively small, and this has the effect of blocking out from view other pictures than a particular one at each particular instant, the result being that the operator sees a single picture which is apparently in motion. When a large mirror, as in Fig. is used the operator can always see a considerable number of the pictures, each, of which appears to be in motion.

According to Fig. 4 the'upper frame part including the mirror and the wire 20 may be removed and the device used in front of an ordinary and separate mirror when so desired.

In operating the device the frame is held by fingers and thumb as shown in Fig. 4

and with the other hand a twirling motion" is imparted to the cylindrical bearing-member shaft or finger-piece .15.

Among the advantages'of mounting the rotatable disc on a frame are facility and ease of operation and better control of the rotatable device, which are also advantages 'on the. picture, and itis rather difiicult 'to arrange an ordinary mirror, as shown in Fig. '5, to the best advantage. Furthermore many persons are able in a short space of time to enjoy the present complete device by simply passing it from one to the other, and the necessity of shifting positions of the persons to meet the position of the mirror is avoided.

The shield device being relatively fixed, the confusion of rotating parts immediately before the eyes is avoided, and this shield acts substantially as a shutter which cuts off the light rays carrying the picture within the relatively brief period in which they are effective, and considerable aberration of impression is thereby avoided. The pictures produced by this device are unusually clear and distinct, and in numerous ways the device provides quite notable advantages over what has heretofore been suggested in devices of this general kind.

Owing to the readv applicability of the twirling member to the disc the picture to be viewed may very readily be changed, from the supply of such pictures on hand.

The invention is not limited to the specific construction herein illustrated and de-. scribed, and reference should be had to the appended claims to determine the scope of the improvements herein set forth.

I claim:

1. In a device Pof'the character described, the combination of a frame having means for holding it'by hand, means carried by the frame for holding rotatably thereon a picture-containing disc having sight openings therein, and means carried by the frame I 2. In a device of the character described. I

the combination of a frame having means for holding it by hand, means for holding on the frame rotatably a picture-containing disc, and means carried by the frame forholding on the frame a shield between the eye of the operator and such disc when such shield and disc are normally positioned on the frame for use.

3. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a frame having means for holding it by hand, a picture-containing disc rotatably mounted on the frame, said disc having sight openings therein spaced apart at marginal portions of the disc, and a shield carried by the frame normally lo tween the disc and the eye of the operator when the device is in use, said shield having a sight opening positioned so as to register successively With the sight openings in the disc when the disc is rotated.

i. In a device of the character described the combination of a picture-containing disc having sight openings spaced apart at marginal portions thereof. means for holrling said disc rotatably, and means for holding a shield between the disc and the eye of the operator, said shield having a pair of sight openings adapted to register successively With respective pairs of the sight openings of the disc when the disc is rotated.

5. In a device of the character described the combination of a picture-containing disc and a centrally arranged bearing member therefor, the bearing member and the disc having means for ready engagement with. in rigid relation, and disengagement from each other, the bearing member having a part adapted to be grasped by the finger and thumb of the operator for twirling the disc, the bearing member having means for mounting it upon a relatively fixed part for rotation. I

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a frame having a part extending normally forward and having at its front end means for holding a n'iirrcr, the frame having a part readily attachable to and removable from said first-mentioned part. said second part having means for holding a picture-containing disc rotatablv thereon and having also a handle for holding the device by hand.

7. In a motion picture device of the char acter described. the combination of a frame having means for holding rotatably a picture disc of the character described, means on the frame for holding a mirror adapted to reflect substantially only a single picture from the disc, the mirror-holding means being substantially opposite such picture and spaced therefrom, and a picture disc rotatably mounted on the frame.

8. In a motion picture device of the character described the combinationof a frame having a handle, means carried by the frame for holding a mirror a mirror held by said holding means, a projecting stud carried by the frame and directed toward the plane of. the mirror, a picture disc rotatablv positioned on said stud, and means also on said stud for twirling the disc.

9. A motion picture device of the charac ter described comprising a rotatable member having a surface With pictures thereon adapted to be positioned opposite a mirror, and having an oppositely-disposed surface, with openings at intervals through the rotatable member for intercepted vision by the eye of the operator when his eye is normally positioned substantially opposite said oppositely-disposed surface, said oppositelydisposed surface having that portion thereof which is substantially opposite the eye of the operator when the device is normally in use of a materially strong light-absorbing character, as and for the purpose specified.

10. A motion picture device of the character described comprising a fiat disc-like rotatable member having a front surface with pictures thereon adapted to be positioned opposite a mirror, and having a rear surface, with openings at intervals through the marginal portion of the rotatable member for intercept-ed vision by the eve of the operator when positioned substantially opposite the rear surface thereof, said surface behig of a dark color over that materially large part thereof which is substantially opposite the eye of the operator when the device' is normally in use.

11. In a device of the character described the combination of a picture-containing disc, a centrally-arranged bearing member therefor, and a disc-holder mounted on said bearing member and having a spring-clip adapted to pass through the disc and hold the same in readily removable relation.

12. In a device of the character described the bombination of a picture-containing disc. the disc having a central opening and having other openings adjacent to the central opening, and a bearing member adapted to be positioned centrall of the disc and spring clips adapted to pass through said adjacent openings and hold the disc readily removable upon the bearing member.

13. In a toy motion picture device the combination of a picture-containing disc having circumferentially-spaced-apart sight openings therein. means for holding said disc rotatably, and a shield of thin sheet material normally between the disc and the eye of the operator, said shield having a sight opening adapted to register successively with the si ht openings of the disc when the disc is rotated, that portion of the shield surrounding the sight opening therein and being substantiallv opposite the eye. of the operator when the device is normally in use having a surface thereon which is of a materially strong light-absorbent character, for the purpose specified.

' LELAND A. KING. 

